He did so, and away I started on the dead run, I could hardly resist the temptation of biting the pie; but just before I reached the regiment, and in full sight of my brother, I stumbled and fell, smashing the pie into the dirt and mud. I picked myself up, looked at the crushed pie, and the tears started in my eyes; but only for a moment. I brushed them away, gathered up the pieces and hurried to my brother. We rubbed the mud from the pieces the best we could, and devoured them with a hearty relish. After the pie was gone, I regretted the bargain that I had made. Pie and watch both gone. Remorse took possession of me. I felt guilty; I was conscience-stricken. I was unsatisfied; no more time, no more pie. "Gosh, that pie was good, wasn't it, 'Pod'?" This was a nickname my brother was pleased to call me by. "Jinks, I wish you had brought more. Why didn't you try and get two?" "Well," I said, faltering, "you--you see, I--I didn't have time enough." "Well, how did you get it, anyway?" "Oh! I got it on tick." And then I walked over to a stump, thinking I would get away from his questions and all the time revolving in my mind whether I should tell him the truth, or say I had lost it. I felt ashamed of myself and thought what a darned fool I was. I concluded I wasn't a bit smart--the idea of giving a watch for a pie! Finally, Charley came over to me. "What time is it, Pod?" "I--I don't know!" "Why, ain't the watch going?" "Yes-s. No, it's gone." "Gone! What do you mean?" And then divining the truth, he exclaimed: "Gor-ram it, did you sell the watch for that pie?" "Yes, Charley, I did, but I couldn't help it; I knew you wanted the pie so bad." "Gor-rammed little fool; didn't you know better than that?" Then I saw the great big tears come into his eyes, and I couldn't stand it. I patted him on the back and said: "Never mind, Charley. I'll go and get the watch back if I have to kill the pie man." So off I started on the dead run, caught the fellow just as he was ready to go. I asked him if I could ride to the rear with him. He answered, "Yes, and you can show me how to get into that turnip watch." So I climbed on to the seat beside him and we started. I took the watch apart, showed him how it was wound, set and regulated it, and was about to hand it back to him, when a shell burst a short way from us, which frightened his horse so that he cramped the wagon and upset it, and in the confusion I got lost with the watch. On the next day I gave it to my brother and told him how I had obtained it. He laughed at me, and said he "guess I'd better keep it myself," and so put it in his pocket. That night the regiment went into action, and my brother was slightly wounded several times. One shot would have proved fatal, but the watch received the bullet and the wound proved fatal only to the watch; it was smashed all to pieces. But my brother prizes the pieces now more than he ever did the whole watch.